Čís. položky 1287


Josef Selleny


Josef Selleny - Obrazy 19. století

(Vienna 1824–1875)
Island of St. Paul in the Indian Ocean, oil on canvas, 41,5 x 56,8 cm, framed, (Rei)

Compare:
Friedrich von Boetticher, Malerwerke des 19. Jahrhunderts, Hofheim am Taunus, 1973, Vol. II/2, p.739, nos. 14 and 44; Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Die Insel St. Paul im Indischen Ozean, Inv. no. 5432 and 3591 J

osef Selleny was an illustrator, watercolourist and painter who studied at the Vienna Academy under Thomas Ender, Franz Steinfeld and Anton Ritter von Perger. He accompanied the famous expedition of the frigate Novara, returning with more than 2,000 sketches made during the trip. Selleny intended to use his drawings from the expedition as the basis for a grand cycle of paintings he would entitle Charakterbilder der Erde. However, this ambition was never realised. After the Novara expedition, Selleny accompanied Archduke Maximilian, a brother of the Austrian Emperor and later Emperor of Mexico, on his journeys through North Africa, to the Cape Verde and Canary Islands, and to Brazil, documenting their travels in his capacity as illustrator. He also worked as a garden designer, laying out the plans for the Stadtpark in Vienna and for the gardens at Archduke Maximilian’s residence of Miramare Castle near Trieste.
The present lot, The Island of St. Paul, is a view of the north-west of the island. Sunlight from the south-east streams from the sky, partly obscured by clouds, and shines down on sections of the volcanic island’s precipitous cliffs. Driven by a strong wind, the sea breaks onto the west coast and creates foaming spray; in the background of the painting, looking towards the sunbeams, the view is calmer, with a horizontal line forming where the sea meets the sky. A ship can be discerned on the far horizon. The edge of the crater is crowded with rockhopper penguins, and seabirds fill the air.
In the full glare of the sun the natural entrance to the island is revealed, created when the north-east wall of the crater sank into the sea. This entrance is hemmed in by two narrow tongues of land, the northernmost one bearing an old flagpole, probably erected by whalers. The painting speaks of the power of nature, of loneliness, hope and longing.
The island of St Paul lies in the Indian Ocean, almost halfway between Africa and Australia, and is volcanic in origin. It was discovered in the mid 16th century, and named in 1633. After general sightings by French and English sailors in 1842, 1844 and 1853, the crew of the Novara reached the island on 19 November 1857. By 6 December 1857 the island had not only been precisely surveyed, but botanical, zoological, geological and geognostic investigations had also been carried out. This was the period in which, alongside his cartographic work, illustrations and sketches, Josef Selleny painted this landscape which he found so deeply impressive.
The Novara expedition (1857-1859) was the Austrian Navy’s first and only major circumnavigation mission. Arranged by the Imperial Academy of Sciences in Vienna, amongst others, and led by experts including the geologist Ferdinand von Hochstetter and the zoologist Georg von Frauenfeld, the expedition achieved international recognition. The ship left Trieste on 30 April 1857 for its two year circumnavigation of the world to carry out comprehensive research into countless scientific fields. Its marine research, particularly in the Southern Pacific, revolutionised oceanography and hydrography. Austrian museums were immensely enriched by the botanical, zoological and ethnographic material brought back for their collections. Josef Selleny accompanied the expedition to illustrate the documentation. On 26 August 1859, after 551 days at sea and 51,686 nautical miles, the Novara returned to Trieste having circumnavigated the globe.
The expedition recorder, Dr. Carl von Scherzer, reported on Selleny’s work on St Paul’s Island: “As an artist, Mr Selleny has captured the landscape character of the island from very varied viewpoints and attempted to reproduce it faithfully, his brush never distaining any scene, as is required and essential to subjects such as satire and the humours, in order to roll out before the readers’ eyes a complete picture of our 18-day camp on St Paul.” (Mittheilungen der kaiserlich-königlichen Geographischen Gesellschaft, II. Jahrgang, Vienna 1858, p.129)
Constantin von Wurzbach also added: “The Island of St. Paul in the Coburg Gallery, a composition of overwhelming sombreness, which the artist had repeatedly painted in various larger and smaller versions, his spirit is attached to these melancholy landscapes with a positively sinister truthfulness.” (Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich, Vierunddreißigster Theil, Vienna 1877, p.62-63)

Expert: Mag. Dimitra Reimüller Mag. Dimitra Reimüller
+43-1-515 60-355

19c.paintings@dorotheum.at

21.04.2016 - 18:00

Dosažená cena: **
EUR 18.750,-
Odhadní cena:
EUR 10.000,- do EUR 15.000,-

Josef Selleny


(Vienna 1824–1875)
Island of St. Paul in the Indian Ocean, oil on canvas, 41,5 x 56,8 cm, framed, (Rei)

Compare:
Friedrich von Boetticher, Malerwerke des 19. Jahrhunderts, Hofheim am Taunus, 1973, Vol. II/2, p.739, nos. 14 and 44; Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Die Insel St. Paul im Indischen Ozean, Inv. no. 5432 and 3591 J

osef Selleny was an illustrator, watercolourist and painter who studied at the Vienna Academy under Thomas Ender, Franz Steinfeld and Anton Ritter von Perger. He accompanied the famous expedition of the frigate Novara, returning with more than 2,000 sketches made during the trip. Selleny intended to use his drawings from the expedition as the basis for a grand cycle of paintings he would entitle Charakterbilder der Erde. However, this ambition was never realised. After the Novara expedition, Selleny accompanied Archduke Maximilian, a brother of the Austrian Emperor and later Emperor of Mexico, on his journeys through North Africa, to the Cape Verde and Canary Islands, and to Brazil, documenting their travels in his capacity as illustrator. He also worked as a garden designer, laying out the plans for the Stadtpark in Vienna and for the gardens at Archduke Maximilian’s residence of Miramare Castle near Trieste.
The present lot, The Island of St. Paul, is a view of the north-west of the island. Sunlight from the south-east streams from the sky, partly obscured by clouds, and shines down on sections of the volcanic island’s precipitous cliffs. Driven by a strong wind, the sea breaks onto the west coast and creates foaming spray; in the background of the painting, looking towards the sunbeams, the view is calmer, with a horizontal line forming where the sea meets the sky. A ship can be discerned on the far horizon. The edge of the crater is crowded with rockhopper penguins, and seabirds fill the air.
In the full glare of the sun the natural entrance to the island is revealed, created when the north-east wall of the crater sank into the sea. This entrance is hemmed in by two narrow tongues of land, the northernmost one bearing an old flagpole, probably erected by whalers. The painting speaks of the power of nature, of loneliness, hope and longing.
The island of St Paul lies in the Indian Ocean, almost halfway between Africa and Australia, and is volcanic in origin. It was discovered in the mid 16th century, and named in 1633. After general sightings by French and English sailors in 1842, 1844 and 1853, the crew of the Novara reached the island on 19 November 1857. By 6 December 1857 the island had not only been precisely surveyed, but botanical, zoological, geological and geognostic investigations had also been carried out. This was the period in which, alongside his cartographic work, illustrations and sketches, Josef Selleny painted this landscape which he found so deeply impressive.
The Novara expedition (1857-1859) was the Austrian Navy’s first and only major circumnavigation mission. Arranged by the Imperial Academy of Sciences in Vienna, amongst others, and led by experts including the geologist Ferdinand von Hochstetter and the zoologist Georg von Frauenfeld, the expedition achieved international recognition. The ship left Trieste on 30 April 1857 for its two year circumnavigation of the world to carry out comprehensive research into countless scientific fields. Its marine research, particularly in the Southern Pacific, revolutionised oceanography and hydrography. Austrian museums were immensely enriched by the botanical, zoological and ethnographic material brought back for their collections. Josef Selleny accompanied the expedition to illustrate the documentation. On 26 August 1859, after 551 days at sea and 51,686 nautical miles, the Novara returned to Trieste having circumnavigated the globe.
The expedition recorder, Dr. Carl von Scherzer, reported on Selleny’s work on St Paul’s Island: “As an artist, Mr Selleny has captured the landscape character of the island from very varied viewpoints and attempted to reproduce it faithfully, his brush never distaining any scene, as is required and essential to subjects such as satire and the humours, in order to roll out before the readers’ eyes a complete picture of our 18-day camp on St Paul.” (Mittheilungen der kaiserlich-königlichen Geographischen Gesellschaft, II. Jahrgang, Vienna 1858, p.129)
Constantin von Wurzbach also added: “The Island of St. Paul in the Coburg Gallery, a composition of overwhelming sombreness, which the artist had repeatedly painted in various larger and smaller versions, his spirit is attached to these melancholy landscapes with a positively sinister truthfulness.” (Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich, Vierunddreißigster Theil, Vienna 1877, p.62-63)

Expert: Mag. Dimitra Reimüller Mag. Dimitra Reimüller
+43-1-515 60-355

19c.paintings@dorotheum.at


Horká linka kupujících Po-Pá: 10.00 - 17.00
kundendienst@dorotheum.at

+43 1 515 60 200
Aukce: Obrazy 19. století
Typ aukce: Salónní aukce
Datum: 21.04.2016 - 18:00
Místo konání aukce: Wien | Palais Dorotheum
Prohlídka: 09.04. - 21.04.2016


** Kupní cena vč. poplatku kupujícího a DPH

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